Matt Sherwood's Travel Tales

I just finished traveling the world with a program called Remote Year. I visited 21 countries, across 3 continents in 13 months and wrote 94 blog posts, documenting my journey! Now, I am back in the U.S. and doing a cross country road trip from Los Angeles, California, all the way to Boston, Massachusetts.

Feel free to Subscribe to my blog to get an email when a new post is published (Scroll ALL the way down on mobile).

Croatia is home to some wicked waterfalls in: Plitviče Lakes National Park, and Krka National Park. I set out on a solo adventure and it was very nostalgic. It’s fall in Croatia and the leaves were changing color. The foliage reminded me of the US...a little...

The Serbs love them some Saint Sava! As I’ve written in a previous post, St Sava is one of the most important figures in Serbian history. And the Church of Saint Sava is one of the most treasured structures in the city. She is a beaut! (from the outside)

I loved London. Maybe it's because it felt 'safe' after 4 months in South America? Or, maybe it's because I'm a Sherwood, and my ancestors are British? But, I loved it, and felt quite at home there. Sadly, I did not spend much time there, as I did 3 weekend side trips. But, the time I was there was lovely and here's a long overdue recap of some of the highlights!

My friend and fellow Remote: Patrick is making one short film per month of Remote Year. As an experiment in Prague, he invited us all to pitch a story idea. I wrote 3 ideas and he chose 1. Here is a behind the scenes look at: "Princess".

Go figure, the Greeks got this down. I’m a huge fan of Greek salads (sans olives). Maybe it’s 'cause I grew up with tons of fresh tomatoes n cukes from the garden in the summertime? Or, it’s probably the big chunks of feta cheese. But, I could eat one every day...and, that’s exactly what I did for 8 days in Greece.

Belgrade, (capital city of Serbia) was the biggest wild card on our itinerary. No one in the group had ever visited, which was odd. Outside of Cordoba, at least someone had visited all the other cities. But, Belgrade remained largely unknown which created allure and mystery.

Been on the road for 6 months now and visited 2 continents & 10 countries. Hoping for 20 by year’s end. I’ve learned a few things about myself and the world along the way, but one revelation in particular stands out.

Prague likes to party! Inside, or out, there are plenty of places to congregate with the community and enjoy the summertime vibes. One of the best places to watch the sunset over the iconic Prague Castle was right near my apartment: Riegrovy Sady Park, aka Sunset Hill.

First time I leapt from a moving plane was in 2004, for cousin Rebecca’s birthday. We had a huge crew and it was one of the best days of my life! When I found out Remote Jacek was a licensed skydiver, I knew dive number 2 was somewhere in my future. Monday, 10 of us ridiculous Remotes drove out to Klatovy to get out kicks flying through the air.

Our first week in Prague featured a perfect Prague Welcome Party by our relentless leadership team of Travis and Sam. Once again, they upped the awesome party ante by bringing in traditional Czech fire dancers! It was nothing short of spectacular.

Jumping back in time: Even though I was barely in London, I saw some stuff. Only visited one museum besides the British Museum, and it was a standout. I'd be remissed if I didn't mention the magnificent Tate Modern museum.

Wandering through the city of Edinburgh is definitely the way to go. So many hidden gems, and cute little shops with punny names: "Thistle Do Nicely", "Procaffeination", etc. We came upon this cemetery called Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, which was visually stunning and weirdly warm and welcoming.

I was seeing London for a month, but totally cheating on her. I couldn’t resist the Sloandog Millionaire challenge in Wales, and Paris was peacocking across the pond. Then, I found out that Jim and Shauna Finn were going to Edinburgh, Scotland and once again, I was leaving London for another city.

I love street art. And, I love mosaics. One of the first things I happened upon in Prague (after my nap) was this graffiti mosaic wall by the artist Free Mozaik. Prague is one of those travel places that gets a ton of hype. “I’ve been to 30 countries and Prague is my favorite!” I hear things like that all the time. I’ve been here for 3 days and can already say, Prague lives up to the hype in SO many ways. And, I’ve juuust scratched the surface.

Ahhhh, c’est l’amour! Paris has a certain, 'Je ne sais quoi'; a magical charm that entrances even the insufferable. Everywhere you go, you see couples suctioned together, sipping champagne and eating each other’s faces. It’s truly romantic, even for a solo traveler.

Last Thursday, I rode the high speed Eurostar train from London to Paris as a little birthday present to myself. Made it just in time for the Bastille Day (Night) celebration. Truly a shame what happened in Nice. :[ Thankfully, Paris was at peace.

The weekend was originally supposed to be the Three Peaks Challenge: hike the 3 tallest peaks in the UK in 24 hours. Snowdon (Wales); Scafell Pike (England); & Ben Nevis (Scotland). DJ Jeff Sloan was the organizer but due to last minute logistics, we ran the option play, and were presented with The Sloandog Millionaire Two Peaks Challenge for Remotes that Want to Hike Good (and Do Other Things Good, Too).

After 4 months in South America, we arrived in London last Sunday for 4 months in Europe. It’s my first time in the UK and I love it! I’m a Sherwood & I feel at home with my people. And, Brexit or not, clouds or not, there’s incredible vibrant energy in this city.

I’m in Europe now, and South America is in my rearview mirror. (Epic montage video in the making...) But, I never got a chance to blog about the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, which lives up to the hype in so many ways. The following post is an epic, 50+ picture detailed account of the 4 day trek.

My Instagram

Mighty Yosemite 🇺🇸

Last May, we slayed this 6,088 meter mountain, 1st to summit that a.m. Easily my craziest and most adventurous experience on #remoteyear !

Now that I'm back stateside, people keep asking, "what was the favorite place you visited?" Such a tough question. I have to categorize my answers, like 'favorite place to live vs visit'. But I will say Santorini Greece was stunning and I could easily say my favorite island getaway. 🇬🇷